Grifal SpA has approved the 2021 Sustainability Report, a watershed that came after an extraordinarily challenging two years. A great deal of evidence emerges that confirms the company’s aptitude for growth and innovation, particularly an increasing concern for the environmental impact of its activities. Examples of the main insights include:
- production waste recycled up to 90 percent
- despite not being a water-intensive industry, consumption has been cut by 7.5 percent
- the share of waste considered hazardous dropped to 0.1 percent, an amount more than halved from the previous year
These results were achieved in parallel with the ongoing enlargement of the main plant in Cologno al Serio and the full operation of the production site opened in Romania. At the same time, a 250-euro award was given to the 110 employees in recognition of the efforts shown during the pandemic.
The message from Fabio Gritti, president and CEO of Grifal
“We continue to invest 7 percent of our revenues in R&D and innovative machine prototypes,” explains Fabio Gritti, president and CEO of Grifal, “to create products that contain a high percentage of recycled material and are themselves recyclable. For example, in 2021 we developed samples of corrugated products made from felt and reclaimed leather. In Grifal, the paper raw materials are 100 percent FSC® certified and their use has almost doubled (+96.2 percent): this testifies to the strong growth in demand for environmentally sustainable packaging and plastic replacement.”
cArtù® is up to 80 percent more environmentally friendly than traditional plastic and old corrugated cardboard packaging.
The pandemic, far from diverting attention from the issue of sustainability, has helped make it an increasingly important factor. Packaging is no longer considered a marginal or separable element in defining the sustainability of purchased products.
cArtù® and cushionPaper™ are the result of Grifal’s patented corrugation technology. Compared with traditional cardboard products, they require less raw material nevertheless offer superior performance (more flexibility, light weight, and cushioning capacity).
Their environmental impact is drastically lower than alternative materials such as Styrofoam, bubble wrap, traditional corrugated cardboard and polyethylene. A product life cycle analysis certified that it is up to 80 percent less than traditional packaging.
The expansion of the head office and the factory in Romania
In 2021, work began on the expansion of the Cologno al Serio settlement. After delays due to the pandemic, Grifal acquired a new area where more than 6,000 square meters of new buildings are being built. A new production department and a new high-performance line will be completed by the end of the year, meeting the characteristics required by Industry 4.0 standards and setting new market standards, as well as the necessary space for paper and finished product warehouses.
The new Grifal Europe Srl plant in Timisoara, Romania, is now fully operational to meet the growing demand for environmentally friendly products from a customer base increasingly focused on the circular economy.